New Report Suggests Having Car, AC Could Ditch Urban Household Out Of Social Benefits

A new report of Bibek Debroy Committee for implementation of the Socio Economic Survey recommends those urban areas households which have a four-room set or four-wheeler or an airconditioner will be excluded from social benefits of the government automatically.

The committee adds if the households own refrigerator, washing machine and a two-wheeler together will be treated same and not to be included in the benefits list.

The report has pointed out who will be automatically included in the social benefits list. It recommends those households who are houseless or have a house with polythene wall or roof, no income or households without adult male or headed by a child will be automatically treated to be eligible from the government social benefits.

Apart from these, the other types of households will be assessed whether those fit in the list of beneficiaries.

According to an official the households will be ranked on the basis of an index score and the scale will be from zero to 12.

However, it is yet to see whether the government will accept the report. If yes, whether in part or whole. In December 2012 the S R Hashim committee had also submitted a report on urban poor, but it was never accepted. It was an UPA government then and now NDA is in power.

It is also learned the Hashim committee recommended 41 percent of urban households could be included for assessment to know whether they fit for the social benefits.

In the new report of Debroy panel the figure is 59 percent.

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Paul Linus - Paul Linus is an eminent online journalist who has been writing news, features and editorials on different websites from across the world for about a decade.